k Name First Last Select up to four of the following Research Nuggets that would be relevant to planning how to promote success for all students. Although on-time high school graduation is used as a federal and state standard for measuring success of most traditional public schools, a newly published report suggests that students are graduating on time without being prepared for post-secondary success. Since 2007, North Carolina’s graduation rates have been growing steadily and consistently for both females and males, and in all five ethnic groups (Tippett & Stanford, 2019). Teachers should prepare in advance for online learning. Make sure you close any files you won’t be using and find what you will need. Looking for files, browsers, or links after class has begun is distracting and can leave you frustrated, which the students will pick up on and mirror (Terada, 2020). Students who have not taken Algebra 1 by 8th grade will not likely be able to take advanced math or science courses before they graduate. Only 59% of U. S. schools offer algebra in 8th grade, and only 24% of students take it in 8th grade (United States Department of Education, 2018). Minority and lower-income students are more likely to be placed in lower academic tracks, even when data indicates they should be placed on the higher track (Bromberg & Theokas, 2014; Education Trust, 2006; Neff et al., 2017c; Neff, Helms, & Raynor, 2017b, 2017a). This disparity of opportunity has been documented repeatedly in education. The tracking continues to affect minority and low-income students despite evidence that, given the opportunity, these students could perform as well as their more affluent peers (Johnson & Cutler-White, 2018, 2019). Use feedback from students to improve your online learning. Early in the year, ask the students: On a scale of 1 to 5, how comfortable do you feel using technology in our virtual classroom? What technical issues have you encountered? Are my lessons well organized and assignments clear? Can you easily find what you need? Do you feel like your voice is heard? What can I do to improve? (Terada, 2020) GEAR UP high school staff reported that the longer, slower-paced versions of high school math classes were indeed for struggling students. Yet analysis of the data for these GEAR UP schools showed that many high achieving students were enrolled in these versions of the courses. Comparing the standardized algebra scores of previously top scoring mathematics students who took the standard high school math courses and those who took the slower paced courses showed that standard course students scored significantly higher on the algebra standardized tests (82% vs. 41% scored college ready) (GEAR UP NC FPR, 2019). The increase in the number of graduates who lack readiness for college or careers is being addressed at both state and federal levels. The Education Commission of the States compiled a 50-State comparison report for state legislated developmental education initiatives (Whinnery & Pompelia, 2019). Asian students are most likely to enroll in Algebra 1 by 8th grade, with 34%. Among black students, only 12% enroll in Algebra 1 by 8th grade (United States Department of Education, 2018). Parents and teachers can foster a growth mind-set in children through praising effort (rather than intelligence or innate ability), sharing success stories that emphasize hard work and love of learning (great mathematicians fell in love with math and developed the skills rather than were born geniuses), and likening the brain to a learning machine (teaching that the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use) (Dweck, 2007). Many parents are unaware or unconcerned about their children’s math course placement. Only 58% of parents of sixth grade students indicated they knew how placement was determined, and 58% believed placement was important. For parents of fifth grade students, only 8% believed that placement was important. More than half (55%) of the parents of sixth grade students either didn’t know their role or believed they had no role in their children’s placement. Parents can actually play a role in their children’s placement by advocating for their placement in higher level courses if they believe it is appropriate (Akos, Shoffner, & Ellis, 2007). The number of NC students potentially impacted by pre-graduation remedial education is large. In 2014, about 60% of students graduating from GEAR UP high schools did not meet the Minimum Admission Requirements (MARs) for the University of North Carolina System (UNC System) or Multiple Measures Requirements (MMR)s for the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS). In 2017, nearly 72% of all North Carolina juniors failed to score the ACT college-ready benchmark in math (NC DPI data). Of the students in 2013, who graduated from high school and immediately enrolled in a North Carolina community college, 52% were required to take up to 10 remedial courses at the community college (General Assembly of North Carolina, 2015). Improving students’ vocabularies by making connections among words and exposing students to content-related words can positively affect their reading abilities (Neuman & Wright, 2014). Examples abound of school systems that expect all of their students to perform rigorous coursework. The outcomes show the gap can be narrowed—and even eliminated—when all students, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, are held to high standards (Achieve Inc., 2008; Bromberg & Theokas, 2014; Education Trust, 2006; Garrity, 2004; Singleton & Linton, 2006; Theokas & Saaris, 2013; Van den Bergh, Denessen, Hornstra, & Voeten, 2010). For individuals who are not given proper access to a rigorous education, the consequences include lower wage earnings, poorer health, and a higher probability of incarceration (McKinsey & Company, 2009). School systems continue to associate socio-economic status and race with academic abilities. Placing high-achieving minority students on the low track is often done as the soft prejudice of low expectations by educators who mean well. Nationally, enrollment in advanced courses has become a status symbol for the elite and people with social power. In recent years, schools have tried to promote equity while preserving privilege, and as a result have developed ways of making course enrollment decisions that convey to low-income and minority students that they would not benefit from or be successful in these courses (Labaree, 2012). The result continues to be the downward trajectory of these students’ academic pathways, which can ultimately affect their careers and their livelihood. Students with similar 3rd grade math and reading scores are more likely to be placed in advanced classes if they come from households with high incomes (Cratty, 2014) Students from low-income households are more likely than their peers to be assigned to low tracks, regardless of their demonstrated academic ability. This low tracking begins as early as third grade. Consequently, a third grade student from a low-income household who scores average on a standardized state test is far less likely to take college prep math in high school than a third grader from a high-income household who scores average on the same test (40% vs. 75%) (Cratty, 2014). A North Carolina study examined course-taking patterns among eighth-grade students who scored at or above grade level on math EOG test. Among these students, those who enrolled in eighth-grade Algebra were three times more likely to take chemistry and physics in high school compared with the students who waited to enroll in ninth-grade Algebra. Among the students who scored Level III (at grade level), the students who enrolled in eighth-grade Algebra were 55 times more likely to take chemistry and physics in high school (SAS Institute, 2009). Throughout the country, schools that offer AP course enrollment make them more available to white students and students from high socioeconomic backgrounds than to Black, Latino, and low-income students (Theokas & Saaris, 2013) High-achievers, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, take similar course loads in high school, unless they attend schools offering advanced courses like calculus. In these schools, access to the advanced courses is more restricted for Black and Latino high-achievers and high achievers from the low socioeconomic group (Bromberg & Theokas, 2014). Every year, in America’s high schools, over half a million low-income and minority students who are eligible for AP and IB (International Baccalaureate) classes do not enroll in these classes (Theokas & Saaris, 2013). In one North Carolina commissioned study in which middle school students who had demonstrated high achievement in math were reassigned to advanced math classes, the school saw a significant reduction in total suspensions the following school year (Stiff & Johnson, 2011; Stiff, Johnson, & Akos, 2011) Achievement data are a better predictor of future achievement than are demographics (Finn & Finn, n.d.). Researchers analyzed data to determine the effects of tracking on students with similar math abilities and found that when high average (C+) students are placed in low, middle and high tracked courses in middle school, the percentages who will successfully complete two college prep math classes in high school are 2%, 23% and 91%, respectively. This study shows that capable students who are placed in low tracks have a decrease in self-efficacy (Burris, Heubert, & Levin, 2006). Teacher expertise is the single most important measurable predictor of student achievement, and accounts for 40% variance in student test scores (Darling-Hammond, 2010). A recent North Carolina study compared two groups of the parents of middle school students. In both groups, the parents earned less than $30,000 per year. One group was given a brochure showing them their children could likely attend NC Community College, UNC at Chapel Hill, NC A&T, or Duke free of charge, with additional grants and scholarships to pay for books and living expenses. Actual costs (without scholarships) were also provided, to show what they were saving. The control group was not given the brochures. Afterward, the first group was far more likely to know the cost of college than was the control group (72% vs. 59%), to understand that many students pay far less than the published prices for college (65% vs. 43%), and to recognize that children from low-income families can attend college for free (68% vs. 44%) (The College Board Advocacy & Policy Center & The College Foundation of North Carolina, 2012). Middle school course placement affects achievement and course placement is strongly associated with social factors, not ability (O’Connor, Lewis, & Mueller, 2007). The number of high-achieving lower-income students nationally is larger than the individual populations of 21 states (Wyner et al., 2007) As of 2009, African American students make up 17% of student bodies in the United States, yet only 10% are placed in gifted classes. Similar figures for Hispanic students are 22% and 15%, respectively (Grissom & Redding, 2016) When teachers are allowed input to gifted program assignments, students are more likely to be recommended if their race matches that of the teacher, i.e., Black students are more likely to be recommended by Black teachers, and white students by white teachers (Grissom & Redding, 2016). High school graduates without post-secondary education are not eligible for many knowledge-based jobs (myFutureNC, 2019). Students who are required to take remedial education courses in college are less likely to graduate or earn a certification for a job which could earn them a living wage (Tippett & Stanford, 2019). In general, half of the students who need one semester of mathematics remediation leave school without graduating, and more than 70% of those who need two semesters leave school without graduating (Hughes, Edgecombe, & Snell, 2011). In North Carolina, only about 25% of students enrolled in community colleges ever attempt a college-level math course, and many of them do not successfully complete one. (Dec 2018, RISE presentation). Untitled A review of achievement test data for six years (2009-2015) showed that 9,000 low-income North Carolina students who scored at the highest academic level in math were excluded from advanced math courses, even when advocates tried to help them gain access (Neff, Helms, & Raynor, 2017c) In 2017, 47% of North Carolina high school graduates met no college readiness benchmarks on the ACT. A score of 22 on the ACT Math subscale is considered the benchmark to be college-ready for a non-STEM career path without the need for remediation courses. In 2017, the average score for North Carolina students was 19.3 (Tippett & Stanford, 2019).
